One Thing You Should Do Today

According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, despite the high-profile security breaches in the last year (think Target, Heartbleed) which have given us a case of generalized digital anxiety, 62% of online consumers have done nothing to protect their privacy on the Internet, a reaction Consumer Reports calls:

“a combination of fatalism and paralysis.”

I know I’ve felt that way: there is so much risk, what could I possibly do that would make a difference? And even if I could do something, where would I start? Change all my passwords? Cancel my credit cards? Stop using wi-fi? (HA! As if.) Ok maybe I could do one of those things… tomorrow.

As a freelancer or small business owner, you probably feel the same way. You’re using lots of SaaS apps because they are awesome, and they make your business even more awesome, and you are cutting edge. It is not, after all, 2010 anymore. Or even 2012. The cloud is blowing up, and if you want to keep up with your competition, you better be on board.

Source: consumerreports.org (July 2014 issue)

But there are so many risk factors associated with cloud-computing – from accidental deletion to hacktivism – you may feel there is  nothing you can do but hope for the best, or wait and deal with it when something bad happens, like important data goes missing. Or you may just not know where to start, so instead you keep putting that one at the bottom of your to-do list, to deal with another day. Sticking your head in the proverbial sand.

Here is one thing you can do today: start backing up the SaaS apps you are already using – from your CRM, to your email marketing service, to your online accounting software. That’s it: add a third-party backup to your SaaS and cloud data, and you have already mitigated most of the risk associated with the cloud.

Cross that off your list and pat yourself on the back.

Original Revert.io post here